Nebraska Medicaid Program Receives Award of Technical Assistance

Lincoln—The Nebraska Medicaid Program has been selected for a one-year award of technical assistance to support the development and implementation of policies that increase access to medical homes for participants in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance programs. The technical assistance will be provided by the National Academy of State Health Policy. Nebraska is one of eight states to receive the award.

A medical home is a place or system that provides patient-centered care from a team of providers who can attend to the multi-faceted needs of the whole person. A medical home supports partnerships between individual patients, their families and their physician or other health care provider who coordinates care for both wellness and illness.

“Having medical homes means that clients get the care they need any time of day,” said Vivianne Chaumont, Director of the Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. “Medicaid clients with medical homes can receive quality, accessible care with a high level of patient satisfaction.”

A recent national study shows that adults who had a medical home had better access to needed care, improved management of chronic conditions, and had a higher rate of preventive screening than among those without a medical home.Medical homes for Medicaid clients can potentially reduce the costs of Medicaid, while improving the delivery of health care to clients.

“Having medical homes can reduce duplication of tests, inappropriate use of emergency rooms and inappropriate use of specialty care services, all of which can be very expensive,” Chaumont said.

“The technical assistance we receive will help Nebraska develop policies and refine options that will increase and improve medical homes in the state,” she said.

Medicaid is a program that ensures that people who are poor and qualify because they are elderly, blind and disabled, children or pregnant women get the medical care they need.